Ritchies Stores

Ritchies is the largest independent supermarket chain in Australia, owned by a group of private investors including Metcash. Ritchies, also known as "Ritchies Supa IGA", have the majority of their stores located in Victoria.

Ritchies Stores
Private company
IndustryRetail
Founded1870
Headquarters
Carrum Downs, Victoria
,
Australia
Number of locations
70
Key people
Fred Harrison, CEO
Number of employees
6300
Websitewww.ritchies.com.au

Ritchies' growth in recent years has been substantial. Numbering less than 20 stores in 2000, Ritchies now appear on the top 20 Australian retailers list with the likes of Australian retailing giants Kmart, Myer and Bunnings to name a few.[1]

History

Ritchies Stores was founded in 1870 by Thomas Ritchie after surviving the shipwrecked Isabella Watson, the first store opening up in Frankston, Victoria on what is now Nepean Highway.[2]

Loyalty schemes

Community Benefit Card

Ritchies CEO Fred Harrison recognised the importance of introducing a loyalty program. The majority of loyalty programs at the time focused on rewarding the customer with gifts. Ritchies decided to go in the opposite direction, asking customers to nominate a club, school or charity. Ritchies would then donate a percentage of the total spend to the customer's nominated organisation each time the customer shopped within their stores. As at Feb 2020 Ritchies have donated over $50,000,000 under the program.[3]

Fuel Offer

Following the lead from UK giants Tesco and Sainsbury's to name a couple, Australian supermarket chains introduced a discount on fuel when customers purchased in excess of a set dollar amount in their stores. Ritchies currently offer a 4 cent/L discount at participating BP or United service stations when transactions of over $25 are conducted in-store.[4]

Christmas Club

The Christmas club, is a savings program where customers can make regular deposits into their Christmas Club account. It was designed to help customers that find saving for the festive season difficult. Customers can either make deposits at the checkout or set up direct debits from their bank account. Come the 1 December Christmas Club members receive a statement showing what they have saved and a letter asking them to pick up their gift card which is valid in any Ritchies Store. Customers that save over $200 for the year also receive a free gift. The program has been running since 2000.

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References
  1. "Australia's Top 20 retailer rankings". Inside Retailing online. 9 June 2009. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  2. "Wreck of the Isabella Watson". Sydney Shipping Gazette Vol. 9, No. 418 - , p.93. 3 April 1852. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  3. "Donations". Ritchies Stores. 1 August 2009. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  4. "Ritchies Fuel Offer". Ritchies Stores. 1 August 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
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